FOREST OF ARDEN, England, 15 May 2005 — New Zealander Michael Campbell went on a birdie blitz yesterday to snatch a three-shot lead going into the final round of the British Masters.
The 36-year-old shot the lowest round of the tournament with his third round five-under 67 thanks to closing with four straight birdies.
Second round leader Brian Davis, Steve Webster and David Howell trail Campbell in second place.
Campbell began the day three off the lead but slowly but surely began picking up strokes.
As the second round leaders began to faulter in the tricky, windy conditions, Campbell held himself together, collecting a total of seven birdies and only two bogeys.
Davis looked to be taking a stranglehold on the title when he went out in a two-under 34 but suddenly his game went south as he reeled off three straight bogeys on the way home.
Another bogey on the par-five 17th, when he took four to get up and down from the greenside bunker, forced the Englishman into a wry smile. He finally closed with a one-over par 73.
Howell, in the second last group of the day and starting only one off the lead, also found trouble on the inward nine, hitting three bogeys in five holes.
Thomas Bjorn struggled to stay in touch and had to settle for a one-over 73 that left him four shots off the lead. Again it was the inward nine that felled the Dane.
Webster, still on a high after his first European Tour win last week at the Italian Open, held the lead by himself at one time but could not manage to hold on.
Ireland’s Garry Murphy began the day languishing in 42nd spot but a stunning four-under 68 hoisted him into sixth spot and the chance of a major check come Sunday evening.
Soren Hansen, playing with Davis, had a miserable day. A four-over 76 saw him slip down the leaderboard and he will start Sunday’s final round seven shots behind Campbell.
Woods’ Cut Streak Skids to a Halt
In Irvind, Texas, Tiger Woods missed the cut in a PGA Tour event for the first time in seven years on Friday, his streak ending at the event named for the man who held the previous record of consecutive cuts.
Woods’ astonishing run of 142 tournaments without missing a cut came to jarring halt after he shot a two-over 72 in the second round of the $5.8 million Byron Nelson Classic.
Woods, finished at one-over par 141 as he came up one shot short of qualifying for the weekend round. The 29-year-old American fell short when he bogeyed the final hole at the Cottonwood Valley course, missing a 15-foot putt after hitting a difficult bunker shot.
Jack Nicklaus has the third longest streak at 105 from 1970-76.
Sorenstam Back on Song at Chick-Fil-A
In Atlanta, Annika Sorenstam, who saw her LPGA winning streak snapped last week, was back with a vengeance yesterday at the Chick-fil-A Charity Championship.
Sorenstam fired a sizzling eight-under-par 64 for 13-under 131 and a six-stroke lead after 36 holes of the $1.6 million event.
The bogey-free effort left Sorenstam poised to start a new streak, just a week after her record-equaling run of five consecutive victories came to an end at the Michelob Ultra Open.
Sorenstam made the turn at three-under, then stepped up her attack on the back nine. Sorenstam birdied 10, then recorded three birdies in a row from the 12th for the second straight day.
Heather Bowie had four birdies and a bogey for a 69 and second place on 137.
Starting at the 10th, she dropped a 30-foot putt on 14 for her first birdie and two-putted from 15 feet at 18 for another birdie. She failed to get up-and-down on the third, but bounced back with another 30-foot birdie putt at the fourth and a birdie at the par-five sixth.
England’s Laura Davies, who shot a tournament-record 15-under-par 201 in winning the title here in 1995, fired a six-under 66 on Thursday, but was unable to duplicate her success.
Lorie Kane of Canada carded a 70 and was alone in third at six-under, followed by Brittany Lincicome and Mexico’s Lorena Ochoa a further stroke back.
